Sign



Al KoRNlcKER.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7, I9I9.

1,359,510. Patented Nov. 23,1920.

` ARNOLD KORNICKEVR, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application led February 17, 1919. Serial No. 277,393.

To all whom. it 'may cof/wem.'

Be it known that I, ARNoLD KoRNiciiizn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of the Bronx, county of the Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve' ments in Signs, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an 1Inproved sign and particularly forthe display of currently changing advertising matter, as for instance the announcing of plays or the like, although as will hereinafter appear, the invention is capableof other and varied uses. An object of the invention is to provide such a sign in which the advertising characters, as for instance letters, words or punctuation marks may be changed and replaced in al quick and convenient manner and without removing the sign from the wall or other supporting surface. As one embodiment of my invention I propose to provide a sign capable of illumination and also I propose to provide locking means adapted to secure the character means in place so that they may not b e removedby unauthorized persons. The sign, according to my invention, will have all the stability and attractive appearance of a permanent sign while at the saine time .it may be changed when desired with facility.

With these and other objects in view, em bodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described witli reference thereto and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure'l is a front elevation of a sign ac.

cording to one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional -view thereof taken `along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view with parts broken away and showing the manner of removing the character means Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modied form .of my invention;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fi L 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 and showing the manner of removing the character means;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view'of the character means; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view (enlarged) of several adjacent character means.

.Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parte throughout the several lgures of the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the embodiment shown therein comprises a traine having longitudinal upper and lower portions l() and 11, end portions 12 and 13, an intermediate longitudinal portion 14 and a back 15, thus providing two longitudinal frame sections, the portion 14 forming at the 'same time the lower portion of the upper section and the upper portion of the lower section. It will be understood that only one frame section may be provided if desired or any suitable number superimposed, depending upon the capacity desired for the sign. n the upper side of the portion 14, there is provided a longitudinal groove or recess 16 while opposed thereto and in the underside of the upper portion 10 there is provided a longitudinal groove or recess 17 of substantially greater depth than the recess 16, the back 15 forming the backing of these recesses.

The character sections are in the form of rectangular blocks or slabs 18, some of which are plain and may be called filler sections, while the others respectively have letters 19, words 20, punctuation marks 21, or any other desired characters or indicia, these characters in the present embodiment being formed of separate material cemented or otherwise secured to the slabs and raised. To enable the production of any desired combination of letters, a complete font is preferably provided adapted to be interchangeably placed in the sign, the 'sign together with a complete font constituting a complete installment of the device.

The slabs 18 are of slightly less thickness than the width of the recesses 16 and 17. In height they are slightly less than the distance etween the upper surface of the recess 17 and the lower surface of the recess 16, less the Adepth of the recess 16, that is, they are of such height that when their upper end is pushed npwardl into the re- .cess 17, the'lower end may e swung inwardly over the portion 14 and dropped into the recess 16, when the upper ed e will still be within the' recess 17, and there y the slab will be held in place, while at the same time, it may be readily removed by slidin the same upwardly free of the recess 16 an swinging it outwardly as shown in Fig. 3. When the letters are placed in the frame to 'while a recess 23 similar to the recess 17 is provided in the under side of the portion 14.

In Figs. 4 to 7, I have illustrated a modified form of my invention comprising a frame having an upper longitudinal portion 30, a lower longitudinal portion 31 and vend portions 32 and 33. At the back of the frame there is provided a box portion 34 in which are arranged electric incandescent lamps 35 suitably positioned.

T he upper portion 30 is provided with a longitudinal recess 36 similar to the recess 17, while a recess 37 is provided in the lower portion. Inasmuch as the Slab is moved vertically in the lower recess in inserting or removing the same, no looseness is necessary as in the upper recess which must allow swinging of the slab, so that in this form I have shown the lower recess as being spugly engaged by the lower end of the s a Character sections or slabs 38 are provided with transparent or translucent characters 39 set therein, and which may be illuminated by the lamps 35. `In order to prevent light penetrating between. the character sections, the same are tongued and grooved at their respective ends as at 40 and 41 and interlocked as shown in Fig. 8.

The front face of the portion 31 is set back, and over the same there is provided a swinging locking bar 42, hinged at 43, and provided at its other, end with a lock 44 cooperating with a suitable keeper on the portion 32, and which may be locked and unlocked by insertion of a key in a keyhole 45. The inner side of the locking bar has a longitudinal projecting portion 46 which projects over the portion 3l and engages the face of the character sections. When in place, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the locking bar prevents removal of the letters. By unlocking the same and swinging it away from engagement with the portion 31, the character sections may be inserted and removed as shown in Fig. 6.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of my invention but it is obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a sign a frame having a lower portion provided with a longitudinal groove therein, and an upper portion having a lono'itudinal roove therein opposed to said Erst mentioned longitudinal groove, the groove of said upper portion being of greater depth than the groove of said lower portion, character carrying means adapted to`be inserted between said upper and lower portions, their upper and lower ends engaging said respective grooves, said means being removable by movement upwardly out of said groove of said lower portion, and downwardly out of said groove of said upper portion, having excess depth greater than the depth of said lower groove and said groove of said upper portion permitting outward swinging movement of said means, and a locking bar adapted to be engaged against the front face of said lower portion, vand adapted to extend above said longitudinal groove of said lower portion a height equal to the excess depth of said upper groove to prevent outward swinging movement of said character carrying means, when disengaged from said groove of said lower member, and in the locking position of said bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereunder.

ARNOLD KORNICKER. 

